How many Fools does it take to screw in a light-bulb? One of course. Still, he or she better be standing on a sturdy ladder, so maybe two would be nice, you know, just to hold the steps in place.

There is merit in three working on that fixture now that I think of it. We would have one Fool holding the ladder, one on top doing the actual change, and it would certainly be nice to have a third to hand over the new bulb and dispose of the extinguished one. Yes, three, definitely three, but, well, maybe four might be ideal. I mean, it would be dreadful to go through all this trouble only to find that the new bulb was defective. A fourth Fool can test the light-bulb, an important quality check when you think about it.

Now it has occurred to me that maybe a better bulb might burn more efficiently. Is the new one the longest-lasting and the most energy-conserving choice relative to its cost? A little research here might save future fixture fixes. So, bring on a Fool to research the purchase decision. Maybe another Fool to do some pricing comparisons at area retailers would help. Oh, yes, the more Fools running around, doing channel checks, the better. Now this is starting to sound very familiar, almost as if its the proper exploitation of the information exchange we have nurtured. Okay, that's it, one can never have too many Fools.

Still, it's only a light-bulb! It's nothing more than just a collection of filaments and glass! A Fool can dig up facts and shop around, fetch the bulb and test it out, then race up the steps and screw it in alone. Ultimately there is only enough room on that ladder for just one Fool anyway, regardless of the number of helping hands. So, how many Fools does it take to screw in a light-bulb? One, only one, but that Fool can come to illuminate the world.

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